FORT WORTH, Texas (June 3, 2026) – The Kansas City Outlaws made Hayden Welsh the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Teams Rider Draft, leading a wave of standout PRCA (Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association) riders selected by PBR teams ahead of the league’s fifth season beginning in July.
Welsh, 20, a native of Gillette, WY, has been a strong performer in his rookie season at the PRCA where he has climbed to fifth in the bull riding standings. For Odessa College in Odessa, Texas, Welsh was a standout bull rider on the Wrangler Rodeo team, competing through the 2024–2025 and 2025–2026 seasons. He finished fourth at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo in 2026. Bull riding runs in his blood as the son of seven-time NFR qualifier Bobby Welsh.
“I was wanting to be a first draft pick, and the draft was like, man, that’s something pretty special; you better look into it and really give it deep prayer,” Welsh said. “Praise God this door is open, because I think it’s going to open a lot of good opportunity.”
While the Oklahoma Wildcatters held the second overall pick, they traded it to the Nashville Stampede in exchange for Kaiden Loud, who finished the 2026 Unleash The Beast season ranked No. 15. Nashville used the selection to draft Ky Hamilton – the first Australian-born rider to win a PRCA Bull Riding World Championship (2023). Hamilton is a four-time National Finals Rodeo (NFR) qualifier and has also competed across the PBR circuit, including PBR Australia, PBR Canada, and multiple U.S. tours.
The New York Mavericks used the third pick of the first round to select home-run hitter Dalton Allred, 18, a Utah native and 2024 Utah High School Rodeo Association bull riding champion. Allred caught the Mavericks’ attention with big rides including 90.2 points at a PBR Touring Pro event in Las Vegas in December and 91.3 points at the Denver Chute-Out at the National Western Stock Show in January.
Securing the fourth pick from a trade with the Nashville Stampede, Kansas City chose Joao Paulo Alves Velasco of Paranaiba, Brazil. The 20-year-old will look to make his PBR debut in the states after beginning his career competing in PBR Brazil.
With the fifth pick, the Missouri Thunder chose Angelo Junior Rossetto, who will join his older brother Paulo, a first-round Thunder pick in 2023. Propelled by Paulo’s big rides, the Thunder mounted a Cinderella run to the 2025 championship game. His newly drafted 21-year-old sibling from Colorado, Brazil is also an ambidextrous rider, giving the Thunder two riders with the rare and valuable skill.
Holding the sixth pick, the Austin Gamblers selected veteran Jesse Petri, a native of Okeechobee, FL, who turned pro in 2016, qualifying for the PBR World Finals three times along with earning an NFR berth. Petri has PBR Teams experience, chosen by the Missouri Thunder in the 2022 Teams Draft. He also rode for the Arizona Ridge Riders and Texas Rattlers. After competing full time in the PRCA, Petri now returns to PBR team competition.
Picking seventh, the reigning 2025 World Champion Carolina Cowboys chose Elijiah Jennings (Marietta, SC), the 2023 Junior Southern Rodeo Association champion. At age 18, Jennings won his first major PBR Velocity Tour event in Grand Rapids, MI and followed with another victory in Hampton, VA.
With the eighth pick, the Florida Freedom selected Caynyon Jolly from Safety Harbor, FL. His home base will move from the Gulf Coast to the Atlantic side with the Sunrise-based Freedom. Jolly, 21, most recently competed in the PBR Ram Challenger Series.
Kansas City, holding the ninth pick (and third of the first round) as a result of a trade with the Texas Rattlers, selected Trent Ferreir (Loxahatchee, FL), who joins the Outlaws after competing at Western Texas College.
To close out the first round of selections, the Oklahoma Wildcatters selected Renan Almeida Alves Pinto. The veteran 30-year-old from Orlandia, Brazil captured the prestigious Liga Nacional de Rodeio season title in August 2025. He has also competed in the PBR Stockyard Showcase events at Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas.
ROUND 2
No. 11 Overall Pick | No. 1 Pick of Round 2: Kansas City selected Luiz Gabriel Rosa
No. 12 Overall Pick | No. 2 Pick of Round 2: Oklahoma selected Jack Mitchell
No. 13 Overall Pick | No. 3 Pick of Round 2: New York selected Jacob Carige
No. 14 Overall Pick | No. 4 Pick of Round 2: Texas selected Jesus Villa
No. 15 Overall Pick | No. 5 Pick of Round 2: Missouri selected Carson Watford
No. 16 Overall Pick | No. 6 Pick of Round 2: Austin passed
No. 17 Overall Pick | No. 7 Pick of Round 2: Arizona selected Brock Poulin
No. 18 Overall Pick | No. 8 Pick of Round 2: Florida passed
No. 19 Overall Pick | No. 9 Pick of Round 2: Texas passed
No. 20 Overall Pick | No. 10 Pick of Round 2: Carolina selected Jake Lockwood
ROUND 3
No. 21 Overall Pick | No. 1 Pick of Round 3: Kansas City passed
No. 22 Overall Pick | No. 2 Pick of Round 3: Oklahoma selected Leonardo Matos Pereira
No. 23 Overall Pick | No. 3 Pick of Round 3: New York passed
No. 24 Overall Pick | No. 4 Pick of Round 3: Nashville selected Jayden Roy
No. 25 Overall Pick | No. 5 Pick of Round 3: Missouri Thunder traded their pick to Carolina, who select Kaleb Lewis
No. 26 Overall Pick | No. 6 Pick of Round 3: Arizona passes
Joao Paulo Alves Velasco, Renan Alemeida Alves, Luiz Gabriel Rosa, and Leonardo Matos Pereira caught the notice of their new respective teams at the PBR Teams Combine, held in Floreal, São Paulo, Brazil, February 19-21. Dozens of the best riders in the country eligible for the 2026 Draft showcased their skills to all 10 teams that traveled to Brazil for the Combine.
All the drafted athletes will immediately join their teams’ rosters ahead of the 2026 season, which begins July 10 in Fort Collins, CO at Colorado State University’s Canvas Stadium. The 2026 season will consist of 12 regular-season events, including 10 team-hosted homestands and two neutral site events. The season will conclude with the 2025 PBR Teams Championship in Las Vegas, Nov. 6-8.
For more information on the 2026 PBR Teams league, and to purchase tickets to upcoming events, visit PBR.com.
Photo courtesy of PBR social